"Watch out!"
Manager Qin's heart leapt to his throat. Lin Xiao was using the Lin Family's Three-star Martial Arts, Falling Rock Fist. Judging by the form, he had already reached the Minor Achievement Realm, and the power of this strike was extraordinary.
Luo Cheng, however, remained calm and motionless, reaching out directly to grab Lin Xiao's incoming fist.
With a loud *bang*, fist and palm clashed.
The next moment, a figure staggered back several steps.
When the retreating figure became clear, everyone present turned pale.
It was Lin Xiao who had been forced back, while Luo Cheng only swayed slightly in place.
"No way! Lin Xiao's full-force attack couldn't even scratch Luo Cheng!"
"Hiss, has Luo Cheng already broken through to the Body Tempering Seventh Layer? Did he really awaken that wasted martial soul?"
The outcome before their eyes far exceeded everyone's expectations.
The one who couldn't accept it the most was undoubtedly Lin Xiao.
"Impossible! This is completely impossible! How could a useless trash like you make such rapid progress?!"
Lin Xiao stared fiercely at Luo Cheng, his bloodshot eyes wide open.
He had never taken Luo Cheng seriously, yet now this insignificant figure in his eyes had surpassed him. The humiliation was almost more than he could bear.
"I still have one punch left!"
Luo Cheng's calm voice sounded out. Lin Xiao's Body Tempering Seventh Layer posed no threat to him at all.
Lin Xiao's face twitched violently, his expression horrifyingly grim.
The punch earlier had consumed his full strength. Even if he struck again, he wouldn't be able to harm Luo Cheng.
But he had schemed against Luo Qi for so long, intending to extort a hefty sum from the Luo Family, so he refused to let this plan fail completely without a fight.
"If you won't strike, then I guess my victory is confirmed!"
Luo Cheng wasn't in the mood for idle conversation. He picked up the IOU and prepared to leave with Luo Qi.
"You haven't yet given me one more punch, and now you intend to leave with her? That doesn't seem right, does it?"
At that moment, a crisp voice rang out.
As the crowd parted, a young girl in a fiery red outfit strode forward.
The girl looked about fifteen or sixteen years old, tall and slender, her long hair tied back, her demeanor radiating boldness. Her brows bore a slight resemblance to Qi Dong's, but her gaze was razor-sharp.
"Qi Ting of the Qi Family!"
Seeing the newcomer, Manager Qin, who was breathing a sigh of relief, abruptly froze in horror.
Qi Ting, the top prodigy of the younger generation in the Qi Family, had already broken through to the Body Tempering Eighth Layer months ago!
"Sister!"
A flustered Qi Dong ran over cheerfully to greet her, "Sister, weren't you staying at home in seclusion? Why did you decide to come out?"
"If I didn't come out, you would have brought shame upon the Qi Family!"
Qi Ting glared at Qi Dong, then added, "I've broken through."
"Broken through?"
Qi Dong was stunned for a moment before he exclaimed with excitement, "Sister, you've broken through to the Body Tempering Ninth Layer!"
Qi Ting nodded.
Upon hearing this, the crowd's eyes all turned towards Qi Ting.
"Qi Ting has broken through to the Body Tempering Ninth Layer! And she's not even sixteen yet!"
"Incredible! It seems like the Qi Family is going to shine brilliantly at this year's Hunting Festival!"
The crowd sighed wistfully, feeling that the Qi Family was destined to prosper.
With Qi Ting leading the way, the Qi Family's results at the Hunting Festival would surely be outstanding. Moreover, having such a gifted youth ensured the family's future prosperity.
"Congratulations, Sister!"
Qi Dong's face flushed with excitement. He pointed to his swollen right cheek and then pointed at Luo Cheng, yelling:
"Sister, he's the one who hit me last time! Help me teach him a lesson!"
"Got it."
Qi Ting nodded, then turned to Luo Cheng and said directly, "Take one punch from me. If you can still stand, you can take her with you. Otherwise, leave the elixir pills behind!"
Luo Cheng stared at Qi Ting and said flatly, "It seems I don't have the option to refuse."
"You can refuse, but you'll have to leave the pills behind," Qi Ting replied.
She had just broken through to the Body Tempering Ninth Layer and needed spiritual medicine to forge her body.
The Three-star Body Tempering Spirit Pill was exactly what she needed!
Luo Cheng hadn't expected her to come for the elixir pills and chuckled, "If you want the pills, you'll have to take them yourself."
"Oh?"
Qi Ting gave Luo Cheng a surprised glance. She had thought that upon learning she'd broken through to the Body Tempering Ninth Layer, he would surrender and hand over the pills willingly.
But the reality was not what she'd anticipated.
"Heh, you're as stubborn as a rock from a latrine—foul and unyielding. No wonder you dared challenge the Ji Family prodigy! But let's see if you're tough enough to withstand my fist!"
With that, Qi Ting took deliberate steps toward Luo Cheng.
Seeing this, Manager Qin and Luo Yun's faces changed drastically.
Luo Cheng might be able to fend off Lin Xiao at the Body Tempering Seventh Layer, but Qi Ting had already stepped into the Body Tempering Ninth Layer—an entirely different level compared to Lin Xiao!
But Qi Ting gave them no chance to intervene.
"Take my punch!"
With a loud cry, Qi Ting stomped on the ground and unleashed a punch.
Her slender, fair fist was ferocious and unstoppable, with a sharp wind cutting through the air, far stronger than Lin Xiao's attack.
Luo Cheng felt a chill shooting toward him, but he faced it unflinchingly. As his eyes slightly opened and closed, a flash of brilliance darted through like lightning.
"Shaking Mountain!"
With a deep shout, Luo Cheng activated his martial soul and unleashed the Heavy Mountain Fist Technique, driving a fist like a mountain thundering forward.
The two fists collided instantly.
With a loud *bang*, Luo Cheng staggered several steps backward, yet he remained upright like a spear planted firmly in the ground.
"He didn't fall!"
"Incredible! Qi Ting is a Body Tempering Ninth Layer Martial Artist!"
A chorus of gasps filled the air. Given Qi Ting's breakthrough to the Body Tempering Ninth Layer, many had believed this fight's outcome was predetermined. The result far exceeded their expectations, throwing everyone into shock.
"Body Tempering Eighth Layer! Heavy Mountain Fist Technique at the Great Success Realm!"
Qi Ting locked her gaze on Luo Cheng, her voice cold.
She had previously dismissed Luo Cheng, but now she had no choice but to acknowledge him!
"What? Body Tempering Eighth Layer! And he's refined Three-star Martial Arts to the Great Success Realm!"
"What other hidden techniques does this Luo Cheng have up his sleeve?"
Qi Ting's words left the crowd utterly stunned.
"Again!"
Qi Ting had no intention of sparing Luo Cheng. Her bright eyes flashed with determination as she summoned her martial soul, an image of a red fire wolf materializing behind her, readying herself for a full-force strike.
"Stop!"
A figure stepped in front of Luo Cheng—it was Manager Qin.
"Miss Qi Ting, it's been three moves already."
Manager Qin glared coldly at Qi Ting.
Qi Ting furrowed her brows, glanced at the people around her, and finally exhaled slowly, withdrawing her martial soul.
"We'll go."
Luo Cheng left with Luo Qi without hesitation.
"Sister! You're just letting Luo Cheng leave like that?" Qi Dong shouted.
Qi Ting's gaze flickered uncertainly before she snorted coldly, "What else, then? Should we let people say our Qi Family can't afford to lose?"
"But—"
Qi Dong still wasn't ready to give up.
"Rest assured, I'll get revenge for you. Luo Cheng slapped you once; I'll make him repay it double during the Hunting Festival!"
Qi Dong growled vehemently, "I can't understand how Luo Cheng suddenly got so strong. He was supposed to be nothing but trash!"
Qi Ting pondered for a moment, her expression carrying a trace of envy:
"It must be the elixir pills left behind by the Ji Family. An Ancient Family truly is extraordinary; even leaving behind a small amount of pills can turn trash into someone powerful. If Luo Cheng manages to cling to the Ji Family's influence, it would be like a fish leaping into the dragon's gate! A latent dragon rising to the heavens! Something we'll never be able to achieve."
"Too bad he won't have that fortune! It's his own fault for awakening a wasted martial soul. Even with Supreme Spiritual Medicine, he's doomed to achieve nothing in the end."
Despite her surprise at Luo Cheng's strength, Qi Ting remained uninterested.
Spiritual medicine mattered only in the Body Tempering Realm. As cultivation advanced, the martial soul was everything!